Samuel Rubin
|
|
Samuel M. Rubin was born on May 24, 1918, in Brooklyn, New York. He died in Boynton Beach, Florida on February 5, 2004. He was known as "Sam the Popcorn Man".
He sold pretzels at age 6 and flags at 9. He started selling popcorn in Long Island City, New York and then at the age of 12 starting selling in theaters. He is the probable pioneer of the widespread use of popcorn machines in theaters.
Popcorn became a staple at movie theaters during the Great Depression. From 1934 to 1940, the nation's annual popcorn harvest grew from 5 million to 100 million pounds.